WYOMING THRIFT STORE FINDS

While on my trip in Wyoming I hit a couple thrift stores to finds some stuff to throw on eBay. Here are a few Automotive Related items that I was able to find.



Lowenbrau Porsche Hat Pin



Brickyard 400 Magnet



Standard Oil Jacket
Size 36R & 38R



Mobil Oil Flying Pegasus
10K Gold 10 Yr Service Pin



Tori Richards Harley Davidson Shirt
Mens Medium

Not bad either! I found some other items to sell, but they are not automotive items. So, I won't post pics.

ROAD TRIP - WYOMING PART 6 - HEADING HOME!

Now to get this trip write up finished so I can get some other things added.

We got up somewhat early and had breakfast with the Aunt and Uncle. After about an hour or so, we finally decided it was time to head out. We said our goodbyes and then went to Grandmas to say goodbye to her. Then on the road we were.

Now that we were on the road, we had planned on stopping at Pathfinder Reservoir to see the waterfall coming over the dam. We were told that it was rather high and wanted to check it out. Uncle Bobby had given us directions to get there via a scenic route by turning on Alcove Ave./County Road 407 just to the North of Alcova Reservoir. It was a decent scenic route. We stopped at a few places along the road to take some photos. But then got to one of the places he had mentioned to stop at. We were at Fremont Canyon. This place was very nice. Very deep rock canyons with a ton of water flowing through them. I was hoping to get a decent shot from just across the bridge, but since I don’t have a wide-angle lens, I had to go up high on the side of the mountain to get a decent shot. While walking around, there were several cactus flowers, so I put my camera to use and got several shots of those. Then I got my shot from on the mountain of the bridge and the canyon. Then we were off to get to where we were supposed to go.

We finally arrived at Pathfinder Reservoir, and I took a quick look at where everyone was going to, and coming from. I immediately knew that that was not where I wanted to go. So I looked to a different direction, and that was where I knew I needed to go. I walked to where I had to climb down some rocks to get to the edge of the cliffs in order to get some shots. I put both my Canon 40D and Rebel 2000 to use. I use the Rebel to shoot black and white. I won’t know how those turn out until I take another class at the college. I tried to get as many shots as I could with my 40D of the powerful waterfall coming off the reservoir. It was phenomenal! After about 30 minutes I climbed my way back out and headed back to the car. My wife and I started heading out when I saw another area of the falls that I wanted to check out. This was the area where it comes over the dam. I walked in and got some more shots and then back to the car and off we were. The next stop was lunch in Rawlins, just off the I-80. Now it was time for the long haul to Salt Lake City.

On the way to Salt Lake City, I noticed a car hauler loaded with cars. One in particular caught my eye. Why? This one was burned out. Then I get right up to it and I started to cry. The car I noticed was a Ferrari Testarossa. Yep! Some idiot blew up the motor and nearly burned the thing to the ground. I took a couple pics with my iPhone just to show to my Ferrari enthusiast friends. The only other stop we had to take was for fuel. Then we finally arrived in Salt Lake City around 6:00 pm. We had planned on being there a lot earlier, but the side trip to the reservoir added on way more time than we thought. OH WELL! We checked in to the Bed and Breakfast we had reservations for, and then we headed out to Red Rock Brewery and Restaurant. The beer was good, but this time our dinner wasn’t as good. But, it wasn’t that bad. No complaints!

The next morning we got up and left around 8:00 am. The weather wasn’t in our favor and we were in the rain for about 2 hours or so until we got in the clear. This was about the time we got to Wendover, Nevada. On our way though, I had noticed several Hot Rods, Muscle Cars and Classic Trucks going the other direction. When I got to Wendover and was going through on the main drag, I noticed that The Rainbow Casino and Hotel parking lot. I was in heaven once again. To bad I couldn’t stay though. What I saw though, was some great rides. They have this event every year on Fathers Day Weekend. HMMM! Maybe I’ll just have to come back when I have the time to get away. After drooling for about 15 minutes, back on the road again we were. Not much else happened, other that a long drive to keep calm and enjoy the view of, well not too much! We kept going except for more fuel, and for another bite to eat. We finally got home around 7:00 pm. Our trip was now over. Time to relax from the long drive and wait for the next event to come.

ROAD TRIP – WYOMING PART 5 – RUNNING AROUND TOWN AGAIN!

Well first off, my external hard drive crashed last week. So, I won't be posting any photos of the trip until I get the drive recovered. Whenever that is, I DON"T KNOW!

Now for the trip -

On Wednesday, The wife and I decided to do a little running around again. I hit a few stores here and there looking for things I might like. I hit the thrift stores and look for anything I might be able to make a profit on. I found some decent stuff too! Not much else to do.

On Thursday, we took grandma to her every Thursday Hair appointment at the JC Penny’s hair salon. I had them drop me off at Starbucks for a good mocha and their opportunity to use their free wife. I thought I would be there for a little while, but they were done in no time. So I told them to leave me here and I would meet up with them where grandma wanted to go for lunch. It was an easy walk across the street. I only got the chance to be at Starbucks for maybe an hour. I got our reservation taken care of for a Bed & Breakfast Inn in Salt Lake City for Saturday so we could break up the drive home.

Once that was done, I did the walk across the street to meet them for lunch.

Once I got there, I wasn’t really that hungry since I had just finished off my banana nut bread at Starbucks. So I just ordered a side of fries and an Ice Tea. Then when the fries got to me, HOLY CRAP! The side of fries was a meal in itself. Once we were all finished, it was back to grandmas to drop her off. She was worn out just from the small amount she did. Age does that to you though. Then once again, the wife and I went to run around and just kill some time. I hit another thrift store and found more stuff to sell. We went to a so-called home décor store. Then back downtown to see if we could find something for our niece. We did find a shirt for her, and my wife got a couple of interesting flower magnets to use at work. She also picked up some Mouse Nuts for her boss. Yes! Moose Nuts. Chocolate covered nuts, in a small bag, with a funny, cartoony moose standing upright covering his jewels. After that, it was into a jewelry store where my wife found some cool earrings and a matching necklace from an artist out of Cheyenne. Oh Yeah! There was a second trip to a bead shop where she had a second set of fly-fishing feathers attached to her head. What the heck is that all about anyways? I don’t get it! But then again, I’m not into that trendy crap.

Once we were done there, my wife wanted to look for a plant to put in grandmas front yard to replace the dead pine tree that was planted there. We looked around and were not able find anything. The one place we stopped at, Herbadashery was pretty decent but not the plants we were looking for. Just herb plants and a small store. While we were there, the town sirens started going off. One of the workers there said something and we were wondering what it was all about. We asked, then she proceeds to tell us, “Wherever you are planning to go, you had better get there, and get there fast. A bad storm was coming, and it was coming pretty fast. So we paid for what we wanted and got out of there. Then on the way back to grandmas, we heard another set of sirens go off. The rain was starting, but not too bad. We got to grandmas and parked the car in the garage, and BAMM!, the storm came.

On our way back, we were seeing some nice bolts of lightning in the not to far away distance, and hearing some pretty loud thunder. So when we got back we wanted to see the storm. It came through at a rapid 60 miles per hour. When the rain started, I could see the water tower that was approximately 1/2 a mile away, but when it really hit, I couldn’t see past the back of the house across the street. I hadn’t seen a storm like this in so long, that I had to try and get some lightning shots with the camera. Well, I didn’t get a shot of lightning, but of the storm was all I got. I decided to just pull out my iPhone and record it. The rain lasted around 15 minutes, and then it was passed. Heavy Lightning. Loud Thunder. Heavy Rain. Hail. Heavy Winds. All in less than 30 minutes. WOW!

So that was our Thursday in Casper. Friday isn’t much to talk about. We did finally find a plant for grandmas front yard, did a little grocery shopping for dinner, and rested for the drive ahead of us on Saturday to Salt Lake City, Utah. However, tonight we were staying at the Aunt and Uncles place for the night.

ROAD TRIP – WYOMING PART 4 – TAKING IT SLOW!

Monday was just a day to do very little. I spent my morning running around looking for a few things that I needed to get. My wife stayed with grandma and I ran to get a charger for my camera batteries at Best Buy, and a new showerhead for grandmas guest bath. I had to get that because I broke it. Then it was off to the store to get stuff for lunch. Not much of a day, but a little relaxation it what a vacation is for.

Tuesday, we decided to go downtown and walk around for a bit and check out the old part of town. We only went to a few shops and drove to a few others close by. While downtown, we went into Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters. We had been here the last time we came were in town 2 years ago, and I can’t believe how much western wear this place has. Not my thing, but incredible. After we were done downtown, we went back to grandmas for lunch.

After a few hours, the Aunt and Uncle came home from their workday. Everyone got ready, except for grandma, and we left for Dinner and short trip up Casper Mountain. For dinner, we went to Lai Thai Restaurant. The atmosphere was good, and the food was awesome. If you are ever in town and want Thai food, then come here. What I ordered , even though I can’t remember the name, was delicious. It had 3 peppers next to the name if that tells you anything. Once we got out of the restaurant we headed up the road to Casper Mountain. Our first stop was to show us Angel Falls, a very cool waterfall of snow melt just pouring over the cliff. And you could walk right up into it if you wanted to. I loved this place! Too bad we were only there for about 5 minutes. We had to keep heading up the mountain. Next time hopefully I’ll have better lenses, and a better knowledge of how to use my camera.

After several switchbacks and a few stops on the way up to see the view of, well, pretty much everything within a hundred miles, we got to the top of the mountain, and kept going. The views from here were very cool. To top it off, the Full Moon Rising was making the view that much better. But, of course, to throw a wrench in the hole thing, Uncle Bobby didn’t fill up the truck with fuel before we headed up the mountain. So, we had to turn around and head back down. On the way down we saw a few Mule Deer grazing in the front yards of a couple houses along the road. Of course I had to stop and get some photos. The Buck was young, and his antlers as small as they were, were still in velvet. It was a cool site to see. I had never been this close and had never seen a buck in velvet before. After that it was down the mountain. Then when we were almost to the bottom, we spotted more deer on the side of the road. By this time it was getting pretty dark, and then Bobby looked over and saw a shot that I needed to take of the Full Moon over the mountains. Well, I took the shot, and like a dumb idiot, I wasn’t using my tri-pod to get the shot right. Oh well! It was worth the try and I thank him for stopping the truck for the opportunity.

Well to finish off the evening, we made it to the nearest gas station with less than 3 miles worth of fuel or fumes in the tank. YAY! Then it was back to grandmas to get some sleep for the next day.

ROAD TRIP - WYOMING PART 3 - DAY TRIP!

Road through Crazy Woman Canyon

For our second day we decided on going up towards Buffalo. We took off and had a nice scenic drive up I-25. We got off the freeway somewhere where you never think to. Uncle Bobby was driving and where we were going we need his 4-wheel drive to get to. After leaving I-25 and driving a road for a very short time, we were on a dirt road that was smoother than 90% of our roads in California. Then we hit it! Crazy Woman Canyon was the road we were on, and this canyon was where we drove through. The water was high in the river, not a creek, and the scenic view of the canyon was absolutely beautiful. Rock, trees, water, and fresh air. What more would be so beautiful? We were up at such a high elevation that we could actually breath here. He drove for a bit and then we stopped to take some photos. Then we drove a little more and stopped so I could get out to take some more photos. We did this a few more times. One of the stops was a camping area where the river then came from a direction that the road was no longer able to follow. My only problem, wanting to take photos, was that the water from the snowmelt was so rough that the water was to dirty to get the photos I would have rather taken. But, who cares. I still took some shots. I was on vacation and here to enjoy seeing areas I had never had the chance to see before. Then again, we were off to finish the drive and reached the top where the road comes out on Highway 16 at the top of the Big Horns.


Cliffs of Crazy Woman Canyon

We drove down 16 towards Buffalo and stopped off at another location, Elgin Park. Bobby wanted to take us to an area where we could get some photos of the snow capped, glacier filled Shoshone National Park mountain range. The view was awesome! Even though we were at a high elevation, the Shoshone peaks were still dwarfing us. We took some photos, but me as usual was not happy with my shots. WHY? I need a wide-angle lens! The dramatic view was not as dramatic with the lens I currently only have available. So, when I actually do get that wide-angle lens, we’ll just have to be sure to come back here so I can get more photos of this beautiful place. On our way out of Elgin Park I was able to get more photos of the Aspens, the flowers that were in bloom, and the grave marker of an old settler that was about 20’ off the road. Quite interesting! Then we were off again.

We finally drove down the mountain and arrived in Buffalo just in time for lunch. We ended up at a place I would have rather not. That place with the “Golden Arches”. Not my favorite place, but it was something. Then we went into the main part of town. Since it was a Sunday, there were only a few places that were actually open for business. So we didn’t spend much time in town and back to Grandmas house we headed.



View of Shoshone from Elgin Park

We were on the road for a bit and I fell asleep. I wasn’t sure how long I was sleeping, but I woke up and we were once again on another dirt road. This one was outside of Kelcee, Wyoming and we were off seeing beautiful scenic country. This area was called “Hole In The Wall”, named after the Gang that Butch and Sundance were part of. We went into a valley of red rock and green meadows, then climbed up about 2-3 thousand feet to the top of a mountain. The view was incredible. I got out and took some photos, then we started heading back down the mountain, stopping when I wanted to take more photos. Once down to bottom, on our way back to the highway and then back to grandmas we went. Our day of exploring was done and a couple hours later our day ended with dinner and playing cards.

ROAD TRIP - WYOMING PART 1

That's right! My wife and I are going on a road trip to Wyoming. Bar Nunn, Wyoming to be exact. Just outside Casper. So, this is going to be a brief blog to set up for the trip. And since this is a road trip, it is technically Auto Related right?

We will be leaving Friday after she gets home from work and I plan on driving the full distance except to stop for coffee and gas up until I get to Wendover Utah. Why Wendover? Well, for those of you other Auto Enthusiasts out there, this is home to fastest place on earth - THE BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS. I hope to be there by 5:00 am so I can get some sunrise shots of this magnificent place. The last trip we made to Wyoming 2 years ago we stopped here in the middle of they day and it was awesome then. I took some photos then, but this time I want to be there for the right lighting. WE SHALL SEE! I just wish I was coming through here at the right time for Speed Week. DANG IT!

After that it's on to Salt Lake City for some Breakfast and fuel, then of to finish the drive until we need more fuel and I need more coffee. Then to end the trip, we will be at Grandmas House. Yes! Grandmas house. The whole reason we are heading to Wyoming. We haven't been to visit the Mrs. Grandma since our last trip just over 2 years ago. We will also be visiting her Aunt and Uncle. Anyhow, I will be updating my blog as the trip goes on, hopefully daily and with photos, but we shall see what time permits. So please check back for any updates and I hope you like what I am writing. If you do, please tell me by leaving a comment. THANK YOU!